Gaminghttp://www.adweek.com/taxonomy/term/4741/all
enThe Story Behind Kim Kardashian's Multi-Million Dollar Hit Mobile Gamehttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/story-behind-kim-kardashians-multi-million-dollar-hit-mobile-game-163228
Lauren Johnson<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/kim-kardashian-adweek-hed-01-2015.jpg"> <p>
In 2013, <a href="http://www.glu.com" target="_blank">Glu Mobile&#39;s</a> CEO Niccolo de Masi wanted to rebrand one of his company&#39;s games, then called Stardom: Hollywood. He needed a major Hollywood name who could get people excited about the app&#39;s simple premise of players working to become A-list celebrities by starring in photo shoots and appearing at high-profile events.</p>
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<img src="/files/imagecache/node-detail/fea-kim-kardashian-hamptons-01-2015.jpg" /></div>
<p>
<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/after-conquering-reality-tv-kim-kardashian-taking-mobile-world-storm-163199" target="_blank">Enter Kim Kardashian West. </a>Since the revived game launched last year on June 22, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood netted $74.3 million in 2014, with 80 percent to 85 percent coming from players who buy virtual power-ups to speed through the game.</p>
<p>
According to de Masi, the game&#39;s namesake approves all images and narratives, which are pushed out as updates every two weeks or so by a group of 30 Glu employees.</p>
<p>
The game mimics the star&#39;s life as much as possible. For example, the app added scenes in London and Australia based on her travels. &quot;I&#39;d say that almost everything in this has a parallel with her life,&quot; says de Masi. &quot;Whether it&#39;s exactly contemporaneous or whether it&#39;s something that&#39;s occurred already, it rhymes with reality.&quot;</p>
<p>
De Masi would like the game to become the go-to venue for Kim to connect with her fan base. &quot;My goal is very much how do you turn the game into a next-generation platform for her to be able to communicate to her fans in a way where she builds brand equity for herself,&quot; he says.</p>
<p>
Glu also hopes lightning will strike twice, recently signing a five-year deal with Katy Perry to build a mobile game set to launch later this year.</p>
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<img src="/files/imagecache/node-detail/fea-kim-kardashian-hollywood-02-2015.jpg" />
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Kim works with Glu Mobile on the game.</p>
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Social media is a big part of Kim&#39;s life.</p>
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<p>
<em>Photo: Juco for Adweek</em></p>
Advertising & BrandingTechnologyAppsGamingGamingGlu MobileLauren JohnsonMagazine ContentMobileMobileOnlineMon, 02 Mar 2015 16:40:14 +0000163228 at http://www.adweek.comAfter Conquering Reality TV, Kim Kardashian Is Taking the Mobile World by Stormhttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/after-conquering-reality-tv-kim-kardashian-taking-mobile-world-storm-163199
Lauren Johnson<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/03-02-cover-kim-01-2015.jpg"> <p>
Kim Kardashian West first grabbed our attention in October 2007 with the premiere of <a href="http://www.people.com/article/kris-jenner-100-million-dollar-deal-kardashians" target="_blank">E!&#39;s Keeping Up With the Kardashians. </a>Who could have guessed where that basic-cable reality show moment would lead? Since then, Kim, 34, has entered that rare pantheon of mononymous celebrities. Like Madonna and Oprah, Pel&eacute; and Plato, it&#39;s just Kim&mdash;global trendsetter, designer, model, actress, <a href="http://observer.com/2014/10/a-brief-history-of-kim-kardashians-endorsement-deals/" target="_blank">celebrity endorser</a>, magazine cover queen, tabloid leading lady, social media pioneer, famous wife (twice), famous mom (and sister and daughter)&mdash;and now, a superstar in the tech world.</p>
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<img src="/files/imagecache/node-detail/fea-kim-kardashian-hollywood-01-2015.jpg" /></div>
<p>
Coming off her dual high-octane covers of Vogue and <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/breaktheinternet-day-2-more-brands-have-fun-even-nuder-kim-kardashian-161415" target="_blank">Paper</a> in 2014 and a buzzy T-Mobile ad in this year&#39;s Super Bowl, she is now looking to build on the success of her huge mobile game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, which raked in more than $74 million last year and which <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news-gallery/technology/here-are-years-digital-hot-list-winners-161766#hottest-game-mobile-25" target="_blank">Ad</a><a href="http://www.adweek.com/news-gallery/technology/here-are-years-digital-hot-list-winners-161766#hottest-game-mobile-25" target="_blank">week selected as the year&#39;s Hottest Mobile Game in our annual Hot List.</a> (The New York Post reported last week that the game is on track to bring in another $200 million this year, with Kim getting an $85 million cut.)</p>
<p>
Earlier this month, the most famous woman in the universe spoke to (and posed for!) us, and here she reveals how her hit game came about (and how she plans to make it even bigger), her further aspirations in the tech space, why she&#39;s so unapologetically obsessed with Twitter and Instagram, and what is ahead for the 10th season of a TV show that gave the world a megabrand called Kardashian.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<br />
<strong>Adweek: Where did the idea for Kim Kardashian: Hollywood come from?</strong><br />
I had just had the baby [North West], and so I was being really choosy about what I was working on. I got a call from the company <a href="http://www.glu.com/" target="_blank">Glu Mobile</a> to partner up and do a video game. I asked my husband [Kanye West], &quot;What do you think of this? What would the concept be?&quot; And he was like, &quot;Oh my God, you have to do a video game? It&#39;s so cool.&quot;<br />
<br />
So, we went back and we came up with this really cute concept that I thought was relatable and very much like me. It had to be something that fit my personality. &nbsp; <!-- Start of Brightcove Player --></p>
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<p>
<strong>The game is a monster hit, with 28 million downloads and 11 billion minutes of play since it launched last summer. What do you credit that success to?</strong><br />
Something that really worked in the game that was kind of an accident are the updates. [For example], your character can go on vacation to Mexico, and that&#39;s one of the places that I go all the time.</p>
<p>
I actually didn&#39;t know the date of the launch, but I happened to be going to Mexico on the same day. Once I started posting pictures through Instagram that I was in Mexico, everyone was playing along [and saying], &quot;I just updated my game, and I&#39;m in Mexico with you.&quot; They would literally get a bikini like the one I had Instagrammed in a photo.&nbsp;</p>
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<img src="/files/imagecache/node-detail/kim-kardashion-03-2015.jpg" />
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The game often follows Kim&#39;s real-life events. | &nbsp;Photo: Juco for Adweek;&nbsp;<span class="meta-credit">Styling: Charlene Rox Borough; Hair: Michael Silva/The Wall Group; Makeup: Rob Scheppy/Cloutier Remix; Set Design: Dane Johnson;Look: Atsuko Kudo Paris cup Bra; White; &pound;150.00; Atsuko Kudo, Crystal Pencil Skirt: White &pound;123.17; Shoes: Saint Laurent; Kim&#39;s Personal Shoes</span></p>
</div>
<p>
People thought we were doing that on purpose and that it was planned, and it wasn&#39;t. We realized that it worked so well because we are in such good communication&mdash;myself and the Glu team&mdash;to make updates in real time. I try to tell them as far in advance of when I know I have a trip planned, and we try to get as many lifelike things that I&#39;m actually doing to really happen in the game so you can play along with my real life.</p>
<p>
<strong>Does the game always correlate to your real-life schedule?</strong><br />
We try to mirror it as much as possible. The look of the game was really important to me. I must have pulled thousands of references of all the different ways that characters should have their hair, the outfits and the shoes. One time there was a strap wrong on one of the character&#39;s shoes&mdash;her feet weren&#39;t matching. I had to change the programming to fix that. It was important to me that everything is right.</p>
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<img src="/files/imagecache/node-detail/kim-kardashion-02-2015.jpg" /></div>
<p>
<strong>How involved are you with the game on a day-to-day basis?</strong><br />
[The developers and I] talk daily&mdash;no set time, but we have these open emails and chats. If I have an idea, I send it to them. I [also] go down to [their home base] San Francisco every other month and meet with the whole team. The process and the approval process would just take too long [otherwise]. It&#39;s important that we connect and have a good relationship. And I think they value that because we do get everything done and expedite everything because we just have that open relationship.<br />
<br />
<strong>Why do you think the game has taken off to the extent that it has?</strong><br />
I don&#39;t know if I expected it to do this well. I&#39;m really thankful that it has because I&#39;ve put a lot of hard work into it and spent a lot of time on it. It&#39;s how I think of my show&mdash;someone can always relate. People always want to get their mind off of things and have something fun to do because their lives are so hectic. It&#39;s a fun game that you can really get addicted to and just lose yourself in for a couple of hours.<br />
<br />
<strong>Gaming apps are well-known for their quick life cycles. How do you plan to keep the momentum behind your own game going?</strong><br />
I think that adding my family members [as characters] and a bunch of cameos will get people excited. I started with adding my mom and now my sisters [last year]. Even my pets that I&#39;ve had either now or in the past are in it. I want to make it as lifelike as possible.<br />
<br />
<strong>Within the tech space, where do you see yourself fitting in?</strong><br />
I hope to have a bigger presence in the tech world. I love coming up with different app ideas, and I have a few more that are coming out. Once you get started and you have this creative bug of ideas that you want to get out, I feel like I&#39;ve partnered with the right team, and now I have the creative outlet to make that happen. I&#39;m happy that people are into it and perceiving it well. I just want to create more apps.&nbsp;</p>
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<img src="/files/imagecache/node-detail/kim-kardashion-01-2015.jpg" /><br />
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Kim enjoys coming up with new app ideas. | &nbsp;Photo: Juco for Adweek;&nbsp;<span class="meta-credit">Styling: Charlene Rox Borough; Hair: Michael Silva/The Wall Group; Makeup: Rob Scheppy/Cloutier Remix; Set Design: Dane Johnson; Look: Atsuko Kudo Sleeveless Joy Dress; Black, &pound;225.00</span></p>
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<p>
<br />
<strong>You were also in a <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-kim-kardashian-mocks-herself-perfectly-t-mobiles-super-bowl-ad-162563" target="_blank">hilarious Super Bowl ad this year for T-Mobile. </a>How did that come about?</strong><br />
When they were trying to figure out who they could partner up with for a Super Bowl commercial, [they wanted] someone who had a big social media presence and someone who has always had a T-Mobile phone. I thought it was really a genuine, perfect fit because I&#39;m always on my phone, and I thought the commercial was so fun. The director, Paul Hunter, wanted to make it just silly, sarcastic and poke fun at the fact that everyone has all this data on their phone and takes so many selfies. They would be devastated if they were lost&mdash;or at least I would [laughs].<br />
<br />
<strong>Does your social persona play a role in how you work with brands? </strong><br />
You have to have a sense of humor every once in a while. So many people think that taking so many selfies is just ridiculous. For me, what&#39;s so funny is I love taking pictures and posting them on social media for memories. I genuinely love the glam of life and hair and makeup and all of that, so I love just sharing my life with people&mdash;that&#39;s who I&#39;ve been. I live my life on a reality show. But sometimes people take it very seriously, or they think it&#39;s ridiculous. I&#39;m kind of letting them know, yes, it is ridiculous, but it&#39;s all fun. I can look at a photo on social media and see a picture and know exactly where I was by the outfit I had on or who I was with. I take it more as a fun, emotional scrapbook that I love to look back on.<br />
<br />
<strong>What do you look for in partnerships?</strong><br />
I&#39;ve really cut back in the last two to three years. Before then, if I thought a product was fun, I would attach myself to it. Now, I really want to make sure the messaging is right and that I stand by the product 100 percent. I want to make sure it&#39;s an authentic fit and that I&#39;m not just doing it for the check or because I think it&#39;s a good look.</p>
<p>
I want to make sure that I&#39;m not spread too thin and that I have the time for my family and my friends and to be able to live a good quality of life. That&#39;s kind of what life is about&mdash;you pick and choose the things that you&#39;re really passionate about. It&#39;s a lot about the people that you want to surround yourself with. With that T-Mobile commercial, I loved the director, Paul. It didn&#39;t seem like I was tediously shooting a commercial. Of course, the agents come in and say, &quot;OK, you have eight hours [to film]. That includes hair and makeup.&quot; Everyone knew that wasn&#39;t going to be enough time. [I said] we need to be here 16 [hours]. We wouldn&#39;t have been able to do it with other restrictions. It&#39;s about just wanting to be there and picking the right partners.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<strong>You&#39;ve got <a href="https://twitter.com/kimkardashian" target="_blank">29 million Twitter</a> followers and 26.5 million Instagram followers. How do you brand yourself as a celebrity with social media?</strong><br />
I don&#39;t think of this as a planned-out thing. It just kind of happened. Social media plays a huge role in my life and my career. I came at the right time when people just started to get into reality shows. Social media works when you&#39;re open, when you&#39;re honest and people want to feel like they&#39;re getting a little glimpse into your life. It&#39;s not that I brand myself like I&#39;m a celebrity. It&#39;s just I&#39;m living my life and sharing a part of my life with the world.<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you think you&#39;ll always be that open on social media?</strong><br />
You never know. I love sharing my world with people, so I don&#39;t see me just having a freak-out and just stopping. Will I do it forever? I&#39;m not sure. But I love the whole idea of it, especially because you get to share things your way. You get to tell your own story through your eyes.<br />
<br />
<strong>You also have a new book coming out this spring that is a curation of your photos, right?</strong><br />
[I took] my first selfie in 1984, and that opens up the book. For a decade, I&#39;ve carried a big digital camera, and I think it&#39;s just fascinating to see the process of what types of photos evolve. Mine started off on digital cameras, then they went to a BlackBerry and then a smartphone. There&#39;s just such an evolution of the selfie. And I captured that, I think, really well.&nbsp;</p>
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<img src="/files/imagecache/node-detail/fea-kim-kardashian-hollywood-03-2015.jpg" /></div>
<p>
<br />
<strong>You&#39;re filming the 10th season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians right now. What do you hope people have gotten out of the show?</strong><br />
I hope they get out of it that we are a normal family. They may not think we&#39;re normal, [but] we are a family like everyone else&#39;s that goes through so many different things and we&#39;re always there to support each other. We&#39;ve been a really close family regardless, but the show has brought us closer together just by spending so much time together.</p>
<p>
I feel like people get that message. There&#39;s always a family member that someone can relate to. Someone came up to me yesterday and was like, &quot;I have two sisters and we always do what you guys [do.]&quot;</p>
<p>
<strong>How long do you think the show can keep going?</strong><br />
We still have a few more years left in us. We always say when it gets to be really crazy and not fun anymore, we don&#39;t want to do it. And we haven&#39;t gotten there yet. (Page Six <a href="http://pagesix.com/2015/02/26/kardashians-sign-massive-100-million-deal-with-e/" target="_blank">reported last week</a> that the Kardashians re-upped with E! for a whopping $100 million, guaranteeing another four seasons of Keeping Up With the Kardashians and its assorted spinoffs. NBCUniversal later <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2015/02/27/keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-renewed-contract-paid-100-million-e/" target="_blank">told TMZ</a> that story was &quot;grossly inaccurate.&quot;)<br />
<br />
<strong>Is there any pressure to keep surprising people with the next big thing?</strong><br />
No matter when we think we&#39;re so boring, no one wants to see this anymore, something really crazy happens and there are a couple more seasons of the show. It just naturally happens. I don&#39;t know why or how. We never would have imagined that this would have gone on so long, but we&#39;re all blessed that it has.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<em>Photos: Juco for Adweek</em></p>
Advertising & BrandingTelevisionMarketingAppsBlackberryCelebritiesLauren JohnsonE!GamingGlu MobileInstagramKeeping Up with the KardashiansKim KardashianMagazine ContentMobileSelfiesSocial MediaT-mobileTwitterRetailCreativeMon, 02 Mar 2015 02:00:00 +0000163199 at http://www.adweek.comBoutique Game Studio uCool Looks to Capture New Players With This Super Bowl Spothttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/boutique-game-studio-ucool-looks-capture-new-players-super-bowl-spot-162610
Andrew McMains<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/ucell-heroes-hed-2015.jpg"> <p>
A boutique player in gaming is looking to make a big splash with its first Super Bowl commercial, even if it is only 15 seconds long.</p>
<p>
The company, uCool, will show an ad for its first mobile game, Heroes Charge, which came out in October and quickly became uCool&#39;s biggest-selling game. The company&#39;s other games are Tynon, Evony and Commanders of Evony.</p>
<p>
The ad was created internally. The game maker was a late entrant in the game, and NBC has yet to tell the company what quarter the ad runs. In an Adweek exclusive, here&#39;s a first look at the spot:</p>
<p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_YLUgtOeTI?rel=0" width="652"></iframe>The opportunity to make a splash on the most-watched show on television, with an audience expected to hover around 110 million, was too big for uCool to pass up. Also, as a result of the buy, uCool expects brand awareness of Heroes Charge (and uCool) to spike significantly.</p>
<p>
&quot;Players seem to love our game,&quot; said Tony Cerrato, uCool&#39;s marketing officer. &quot;We&#39;re getting good responses from that, and we figured that by going on to a bigger venue like the Super Bowl, it should be successful.&quot;</p>
<p>
Heroes Charge is a role-playing game that&#39;s free and popular among casual and hardcore gamers. Also, its more than 9.7 million players are almost evenly split between men and women. So, the Super Bowl&#39;s audience seems like a good match for uCool; that is if its short ad doesn&#39;t get lost among all the longer-form executions, which range from 30- to 60- to even 90-second spots.</p>
Advertising & BrandingadGamingHeroes Chargemobile gameSuper BowlAndrew McMainsuCoolThu, 29 Jan 2015 00:24:56 +0000162610 at http://www.adweek.comWill We Have to Say Goodbye to AOL's Joystiq?http://www.adweek.com/news/press/will-we-have-say-goodbye-aols-joystiq-162591
Michelle Castillo<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/rumor-joystiq-closing-hed-2015.jpg"> <p>
One of the largest video game industry publications online, Joystiq, may be closing its doors in the upcoming weeks,&nbsp;<a href="http://recode.net/2015/01/26/aol-likely-to-shutter-gaming-site-joystiq-in-larger-content-cleanup/" target="_blank">re/code</a>&nbsp;reported. The digital publication said that parent company AOL will likely be shutting down the 10-year-old gaming publication as well as other &quot;underperforming&quot; sites.&nbsp; While the company declined to comment on the report,&nbsp;the gaming portal itself posted <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/27/joystiq-closing-shop/" target="_blank">a tongue-in-cheek story</a>&nbsp;regarding the rumor.</p>
<p>
&quot;Sources tell Joystiq that the staff is aware of the closure, but corporate hasn&#39;t officially told them, so they are unable to acknowledge anything out of concern that it will cause immediate shutdown,&quot; it wrote.</p>
<p>
Altimeter industry analyst Rebecca Lieb said AOL&#39;s potential move to shut down the 10-year-old gaming site seemed to be in line with periodic housecleaning that large media companies do from time to time. It also seemed to show the technology company&#39;s move toward becoming more of an ad tech provider rather than a publisher, Lieb added.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Lewis Ward, market research firm IDC&#39;s research director for gaming, said he would be surprised if Joystiq did end up closing; however, AOL still has Engadget on its roster and covers gaming in other verticals so it would be able to cover the increasingly lucrative industry.</p>
<p>
But, Ward added, as the amount of gaming-themed publications online grows, the coverage is getting more fragmented and specific. Fans now seek out particular websites for different genres and games, he said. For example, fans interested in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (Mmorpgs) like World of Warcraft tend to head to Twitch instead of having to glean overarching news from an all-encompassing publication.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Ward also pointed out that advertising on Twitch tends to be more video-based, which is what brands are looking for. Previously, he served on the board of defunct magazine GamePro and said it shut down primarily due to insufficient advertising dollars through banner ads when it tried to go online with a hybrid publication model.</p>
<p>
&quot;It&#39;s tough for a website that is banner ad-centric to keep the lights on or stay growing at the very least,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>
The PressAolGamingJoystiqOnlineVideo GamesWed, 28 Jan 2015 00:56:20 +0000162591 at http://www.adweek.comMachinima Rebrands With a TV-Leaning Strategyhttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/machinima-rebrands-attract-tv-ad-dollars-161341
Michelle Castillo<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/machinima-hed-2014.png"> <p>
Machinima, a multi-channel network (MCN) pioneer that&#39;s come under siege from increased competition, today revealed a robust rebrand to better position itself in the industry. Most importantly, it&#39;s building an advertising structure similar to a TV network to make brands feel more comfortable about buying.</p>
<p>
&quot;What we&#39;re doing here with this rebrand is providing a really rich, consistent environment that reflects our vision as purveyors of fandom and gamer culture,&quot; explained CEO Chad Gutstein, who was formerly COO for cable channel Ovation. &quot;It&#39;s one of the things that TV has done phenomenally, and we&#39;re bringing that discipline to social videos.&quot;</p>
<p>
Machinima chief content officer Daniel Tibbets explained that most MCNs operate like a traditional talent agency, offering up their creators to brands and then coming up with a strategy to make content that works for both parties. Instead, Machinima wants to operate similarly to television and have a slate of programming so advertisers can see what kind of topics will be discussed on a series, which episodes are going to air around the time they want to make their buys or read episode synopses so they can find a match for their products. Machinima offers mosts types of video advertisements, including cost-per-thousand spots, sponsor cards and on-air mentions, as well as custom native content across its network.</p>
<p>
Fourteen-year-old <a href="https://www.machinima.com/" target="_blank">Machinima</a> boasts 3 billion monthly views&mdash;primarily consumption by males&mdash;and 400 million subscribers, not to mention that its YouTube channel is in the top 50 U.S. gaming channels. However,&nbsp;its popularity has partly given way to other online channels and networks with a broader audience and reach, and strategic and investing partners <a href="http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/warner-bros-is-buying-a-stake-in-struggling-youtube-net-machinima-heres-why-1201127883/" target="_blank">including Warner Bros.</a> have had to step in to help out. Hence, the rebrand.</p>
<p>
The West Hollywood, Calif.-based company&#39;s website and new slogan, &quot;Heroes Rise,&quot; displays a commitment to fans of all kinds, as well as the fact that while it still has a majority male viewership, it&#39;s moving into gender-neutral territory with a steadily growing contingent of female viewers. More diversity could be lucrative to marketers.</p>
<p>
&quot;Environment matters greatly,&quot; Gutstein added.</p>
<p>
Jesse Redniss, a former executive for USA Network and co-founder of digital technology advisors <a href="http://www.braveventures.com/" target="_blank">BRaVe Ventures</a>, said Machinima&#39;s switch to a TV-based strategy may make brands feel more comfortable spending their dollars.</p>
<p>
&quot;Aligning a slate of programming in a way that&#39;s similar to how advertisers already think about advertising is a reasonable strategy&mdash;it&#39;s an easier buy and when there is so much confusion in the market, what one already knows, what&rsquo;s easy, often wins,&quot; he said.</p>
<p>
<strong>&#39;Level Up Talent&#39; Designed To Help Creators</strong></p>
<p>
To further help its content creators, Machinima is also introducing the Level Up Talent program, which will divide its creator pool into three levels. M&ndash;White is available for everyone to join. M-Red and M-Black, however, are invite-only. Red members are made up of content creators that may be making notable materials, but aren&#39;t doing significant traffic. Then, Machinima will work with them to help target their focus and develop programming. Black level creators&mdash;like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/SkyDoesMinecraft" target="_blank">SkyDoesMinecraft</a> with <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/fda-turns-skydoesminecraft-create-anti-smoking-psa-159509" target="_blank">10.6 million subscribers</a>&mdash; are about top 2 percent of talent on Machinima&#39;s network. They&#39;ll get dedicated talent development managers to help them strike advertising deals, foster collaborations and help them bolster their ideas. All creators will have access to a new technology platform called Console that will help them manage their uploads and social media presence.</p>
<p>
Redniss said the rebrand could also serve another purpose: Machinima could be positioning itself as an acquisition target by a traditional media company. In March, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/disney-acquires-maker-studios-156503" target="_blank">Disney purchased Maker Studios</a>&nbsp;for $500 million.</p>
<p>
This new focus could help it regain a solid hold on its core audience, Redniss said. However, he is a bit skeptical on how this strategy will help them find new, younger viewers that are flocking to the other networks with more diverse content.</p>
<p>
&quot;I do think that this approach will help move the needle with brands, but I&#39;m not sure how this approach will help them regain audience,&quot; Redniss said.&nbsp;</p>
Technologychad gutFanaticsgamersGamingMachinimaMichelle CastilloMulti-channel networkOnlineVideoVideo GamesMon, 10 Nov 2014 23:21:54 +0000161341 at http://www.adweek.comCould Minecraft Become Microsoft's Next Halo?http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/could-minecraft-become-microsofts-next-halo-160047
Michelle Castillo<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/minecraft-hed-2014.jpg"> <p>
If the rumors are true, Microsoft Corp.&#39;s move to purchase Minecraft could position the popular video game as the next big entertainment franchise.</p>
<p>
Several outlets reported that the Redmond, Washington-based tech giant is negotiating a $2 billion deal to buy game producer <a href="https://mojang.com/" target="_blank">Mojang</a>, which makes Minecraft as well as Scrolls and Cobalt. The <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/09/09/microsoft-said-to-be-in-advanced-talks-to-buy-minecraft-maker/" target="_blank">New York Times</a> reported that Microsoft was especially interested because it wanted to make sure the game was available for its devices.</p>
<p>
The PC-version of the game sells for $27 and is already available for Xbox at just $20, relatively low considering most console games retail for $60. Right now, with a little under 17 million copies sold, Minecraft doesn&#39;t compare to the Call of Duty franchise, which has sold more than 100 million copies.</p>
<p>
But Minecraft is frequently one of the most common games featured in gaming-themed online videos, with YouTubers like <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/fda-turns-skydoesminecraft-create-anti-smoking-psa-159509" target="_blank">SkyDoesMinecraft</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CaptainSparklez" target="_blank">Captain Sparklez</a> attracting billions of views. With more brands trying to buy native video advertising and pre-roll that is guaranteed to get Gen Z and millennial eyes, it&#39;s exactly the kind of gaming content marketers want to get behind.</p>
<p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-bLaVQA_Yuk" width="652"></iframe></p>
<p>
What makes Minecraft different from most popular titles is that it&#39;s a sandbox game, which means users completely create their experience. To play the game, you construct a virtual 3D world using textured cubes. Since the basic landscape is generated differently for each player, every game is unique&mdash;and completely up to the players&rsquo; whims.</p>
<p>
Online streaming video platform <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/amazon-not-youtube-acquires-twitch-159715" target="_blank">Twitch</a>, which specializes in gaming content, said Minecraft videos are consistently in their top five and have even topped its charts on occasion. While the perennial favorites are still videostreams about League of Legends, DoTA (Defense of the Ancients) and Starcraft 2, Minecraft has been one of the fastest growing titles over the last six months. Twitch&#39;s first channel to hit a million followers, <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/syndicate" target="_blank">Syndicate</a>, is dedicated to the game.</p>
<p>
Twitch&#39;s Minecraft partnership lead Aureylian (who goes by her username for privacy reasons) said part of what makes Minecraft content resonate is that related video content is always original. On the other hand, your typical console games and many PC games tend to have a storyline, so the streaming content follows the same basic path no matter who is behind the controls.</p>
<p>
&quot;In Minecraft, literally, you&#39;re put in a world where you&#39;re allowed to explore, and the world is never the same for two people,&quot; she pointed out.</p>
<p>
Also, because it doesn&#39;t involve violence, Minecraft&#39;s typical audience runs the gamut of young teen to middle-aged gamers more than the typical first-person shooter game, which tends to be male teens, Aureylian adds. It&#39;s the kind of stuff families can sit at home together and watch.</p>
<p>
Because of this, the audience tends to be extremely engaged and more varied in gender and age, Twitch&#39;s vp of marketing Matt DiPietro claims. &quot;What advertisers want is great content and a hyper-engaged user. Users on the Twitch platform spend hours at a time leaning forward, chatting with each other and chatting with the broadcaster. It provides an extraordinarily valuable way to engage with those readers, and Minecraft video content is the best example of that experience because it&#39;s a very creative experience,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Just look at one of Microsoft&#39;s other titles&mdash;Halo&mdash;to see how far a game can go. Halo has&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/despite-promises-advertisers-microsoft-disbands-xbox-tv-studio-158974" target="_blank">a Showtime show produced by Steven Spielberg</a>&nbsp;scheduled to be released in 2015&nbsp;(although admittedly it&#39;s been stuck in development limbo for what seems like forever); digital feature films; popularity in gaming competitions; and a staggering variety of merchandise.</p>
<p>
With the power of one of the biggest tech brands out there, Minecraft could be the next blockbuster entertainment property. And Microsoft could use the help. It recently reported <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/microsoft-reports-400-million-loss-xbox-one-159439" target="_blank">a $400 million loss on its Xbox One</a>, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/despite-promises-advertisers-microsoft-disbands-xbox-tv-studio-158974" target="_blank">closed the Xbox TV Studio </a>it hyped during its Newfront presentation and saw&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/microsoft-announces-largest-ever-round-layoffs-158957" target="_blank">its largest round of layoffs</a> in July. The New York Times added that the company still has $86 billion, so the $2 billion deal wouldn&#39;t dent the finances that much, considering the potential.&nbsp;</p>
TechnologyGamingMicrosoftMinecraftOnlineonline video gamesMichelle CastilloTwitchVideo GamesWed, 10 Sep 2014 22:00:44 +0000160047 at http://www.adweek.comActivision's $500 Million 'Destiny' Launch Shows Power of Online Videohttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/activisions-500-million-destiny-launch-shows-power-online-video-160046
Erik Oster<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/video_game.png"> <p>
With gaming giants Activision (Call of Duty franchise) and Bungie (Halo franchise) behind it, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destiny_%28video_game%29" target="_blank">yesterday&#39;s release</a> of Destiny was bound to be a big pre-order event. But the game exceeded expectations, with more than $500 million already tallied for orders by stores, to easily become one of the largest wholesale launches of a new game franchise in history.</p>
<p>
Indeed, Activision&#39;s <a href="http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/233679/you-gotta-spend-it-to-make-it-activision-earmarks.html?edition=75890" target="_blank">$500 million investment</a> in marketing the game seems to already have payed off. A gameplay trailer was released in late August and has racked up almost 6.5 million views on YouTube. The live-action trailer for the game, released last week, has already eclipsed that figure, with almost eight million views already.</p>
<p>
For the second trailer, Activision collaborated with agency 72andSunny, production company Reset Content, Academy Award winning VFX studio Digital Domain and Academy Award nominated FX studio Legacy Effect. The two-minute trailer, directed by Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion, TRON: Legacy), features voice acting from Peter Dinklage (who also appears in the game), as well as licensing Led Zeppelin&#39;s &quot;Immigrant Song,&quot; and seems more like a preview for a Hollywood blockbuster than a video game.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Given the game&#39;s initial success, analysts are already predicting the title will be the year&#39;s top-selling game, moving 12 million to 20 million copies for over $1 billion in revenue, according to <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2014/09/08/activision-blizzard-bungie-destiny/15284661/" target="_blank">USA Today</a>.</p>
<p>
&quot;Since the beginning, we&rsquo;ve been confident that our investment and belief in Destiny would pay off,&quot; said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, in a statement. &quot;But not many people believed we&rsquo;d be able to say it did so on day one.&quot;</p>
<p>
For comparison, earlier this year, Ubisoft announced that its Watch Dogs release was the &quot;best-selling new [game] at launch across the video game industry&quot; after wholesaling roughly four million copies in its first week. The retail equivalent of that number of units would equal no more than $250 million&mdash;much less the $500 million wholesale figure claimed by Activision.</p>
<p>
Check out the Santa Monica, Calif.-based brand&#39;s trailer below.</p>
<p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9ZyQK6kUdWQ" width="652"></iframe></p>
TechnologyActivisionBungieDestinyGamingGamingWed, 10 Sep 2014 20:14:49 +0000160046 at http://www.adweek.comWill Ferrell Hates Cancer and Will Fight It by Playing Video Game With Youhttp://www.adweek.com/adfreak/will-ferrell-hates-cancer-and-wants-fight-it-playing-video-game-you-160044
Michelle Castillo<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/will-ferrell-fod-video-games-hed-2014.jpg"> <p>
Great Odin&#39;s Raven! If you ever wanted to play video games with self-proclaimed video game wiz Will Ferrell, here&#39;s your chance to do so&mdash;and support a great cause.</p>
<p>
The Saturday Night Live alum is asking fans to donate money to help kids who are battling childhood cancers. One lucky donor will get to spend an evening gaming with Ferrell in San Francisco, all of which will be <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/why-amazons-deal-twitch-makes-sense-159721" target="_blank">livestreamed on Twitch.</a></p>
<p>
The proceeds from the campaign, being <a href="http://www.WillFerrellHatesCancer.org" target="_blank">crowdfunded on Indiegogo,</a> will go to Cancer for College and <a href="http://donategames.org/" target="_blank">DonateGames.org.</a> The former provides scholarships to cancer survivors; the latter helps children with cancer and their families by using video games and other technology, including selling game bundles to raise money for financial aid or donating video games and equipment to hospitals.</p>
<p>
Hear the contest announcement from Will <em>Pharell</em> himself, who allegedly once played Asteroids for 37 hours without taking a bathroom break:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9Lw-2ZGvyLw" width="652"></iframe><br />
<br />
If you don&#39;t win <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/will-ferrell-s-supermegablastmax-gamer-challenge" target="_blank">Will Ferrell&#39;s SuperMegaBlastMax Gamer Challenge</a>, there&#39;s still plenty of swag to take home from partners like Amazon, Twitch and Microsoft. There&#39;s also awesome limited-edition Ferrell gear including his special gamers&#39; sunscreen, and best of all, signed cowbells. Trust me: We all need a little <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/536145" target="_blank">more cowbell</a> in our life.</p>
Advertising & BrandingAsteroidsCancerDonateGames.orgGamingTwitchMichelle CastilloWill FerrellCreativeWed, 10 Sep 2014 19:12:52 +0000160044 at http://www.adweek.comAdidas Poland Launches Instagram Game to Promote Cleatshttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/adidas-poland-launches-instagram-game-promote-cleats-159729
Ed Lamb<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/adidas-predator-instinct-hed-2014.jpg"> <p>
Putting a unique spin on the &quot;beautiful game,&quot; Adidas Poland has found a novel way to get users to like its Adidas Predator soccer cleats. The company claims it has launched the first interactive Instagram game in the form of a picture-matching contest.</p>
<div class="news-article-image" style="float: right;margin: 15px 0px 15px 15px;">
<img class="fancyzoom" data-fancybox-src="/files/imagecache/node-detail/adidas-predator-instinct-01-2014.jpg" src="/files/imagecache/test-width/adidas-predator-instinct-01-2014.jpg" /></div>
<p>
To play the Isobar Poland-developed game, users have to go to the <a href="http://instagram.com/ADIDAS_PL" target="_blank">Adidas Polska</a> Instagram profile page to find the password of the day. Then, they have to click on photos of the Predator shoes posted on the account, which link to tagged profiles. Hidden within these other accounts are pieces of the four-part password combination. The first person to like the four parts in the correct order each day wins bragging rights and a pair of the shoes, which retail for about $200 to $220. The next 10 runners up will get Adidas soccer balls. The game started Aug. 25 and runs through Sept. 3.</p>
<p>
In addition to additional social media promotion led by Carat, soccer journalist Michał Pol and Legi Warsaw midfielder Jakub Kosecki will also push the campaign on their personal online accounts.</p>
<p>
The game is part of the company&#39;s efforts to reach its young customers, who are very active on social media. The Bavarian-based company launched <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/adidas-champs-sports-want-you-watch-their-new-web-shows-instagram-159023" target="_blank">several Instagram Web series</a> on its American accounts, and has also had success with <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/adidas-scores-last-minute-world-cup-youtube-push-158960 " target="_blank">viral YouTube campaigns</a>. Eager to beat leader Nike, it announced that it will raise its marketing budget <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/adidas-vows-outsprint-nike-ad-race-159440" target="_blank">by $260 million</a> earlier this month.</p>
<p>
&nbsp;</p>
Advertising & BrandingAdidasAdidas PolandCaratFootwearGamingEd Lambinstagram gameOnlineSocialTue, 26 Aug 2014 17:37:22 +0000159729 at http://www.adweek.comWhy Amazon's Deal With Twitch Makes Sensehttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/why-amazons-deal-twitch-makes-sense-159721
Michelle Castillo<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/twitch-logo-hed-2014.jpg"> <p>
While it may have come out of left field, analysts believe that the <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/amazon-not-youtube-acquires-twitch-159715" target="_blank">Amazon-Twitch</a>&nbsp;acquisition deal&mdash;worth a princely sum of $970 million&mdash;sounds like a perfect match.</p>
<p>
There&#39;s no denying that Google would have benefited from purchasing the gaming-themed video network, said Lewis Ward, IDC&#39;s consumer markets research director. But, Amazon and Twitch have complementary goals, including a push toward trying to develop for mobile and an emphasis on streaming video.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Amazon has been looking for content to bolster Kindle Fire and Amazon Fire Phone sales, and Twitch has been hungry to tap into the mobile gaming market. &quot;I wouldn&#39;t be surprised over time to see Twitch assets get some extra bells and whistles that run on the Kindle OS, Fire Phone and Amazon Fire TV,&quot; Ward explained.</p>
<p>
In addition, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant has already proven to be a leader in video content with its Prime service, and demonstrated that it could stream games from the cloud <a href="http://aws.amazon.com/appstream/" target="_blank">with very little lag</a>. While YouTube is the clear leader in user-generated videos online, Ward points out that Google doesn&#39;t have a massive audience for live-streamed content. He hypothesizes that Twitch may have been concerned about those issues when it decided to instead go with Amazon.</p>
<p>
Even though Twitch gets the huge payday and millions of new eyeballs, there&#39;s huge upsides for Amazon. Simply blocking Google from purchasing Twitch prevents it from becoming the complete dominant force in online video.</p>
<p>
It also gives Amazon its first foray into user-generated video content, and a massive presence at that, considering Twitch has more than 1 billion users. As recently as June, it had 55 million unique visitors and more than 15 billion minutes of video viewed.</p>
<p>
<strong><strong>Amazon&#39;s Pick-Up Is &#39;Almost Like an Alien Discovery&#39;</strong></strong></p>
<p>
There&#39;s another bonus to inheriting that gigantic audience: It&#39;s mostly millennial. While the Kindle Fire had done well in gaming, its main demographic is adult females&mdash;which is not exactly Twitch&#39;s young male target.</p>
<p>
Altimeter analyst Brian Solis pointed out that the move solidifies Amazon&#39;s play to target the coveted youth that find themselves at home watching videos on YouTube and clips on Vine. &quot;My hunch is that they&#39;re buying Twitch to pursue the younger generation, this sort of new digital audience where the second screen for every day consumers is actually the first screen,&quot; he said.</p>
<p>
Ward also argues that since e-sports has a huge global community, it will also bolster <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/amazon-sponsored-links-seen-direct-threat-google-adwords-159713" target="_blank">Amazon&#39;s advertising network</a> across the world. In addition, Twitch boasts a 90-plus percent ad completion rate compared to the industry average of less than 50 percent, per mobile ad serving and analytics company Celtra. Solis believes that those facts, with the added bonus of the amounts of data it will be able to glean from Twitch&#39;s users, could make the e-commerce outlet a dangerous force in the ad space.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;We&#39;re going to see insight into a mysterious consumer, one that I think is counterintuitive to the traditional consumer that brands and advertisers tried to reach. It&rsquo;s almost like it&#39;s an alien discovery,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>
TechnologyAmazonAmazon FireAmazon Fire PhoneAmazon Fire TVGamingMichelle CastilloKindle mobileOnlineOnline videostreaming videoTwitchTwitch.tvVideoMon, 25 Aug 2014 23:21:22 +0000159721 at http://www.adweek.comAmazon—Not YouTube—Acquires Twitchhttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/amazon-not-youtube-acquires-twitch-159715
Michelle Castillo<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/twitch-games-hed-2014.jpg"> <p>
In a surprising move, leading gaming-themed streaming video portal&nbsp;<a href="http://www.twitch.tv/" target="_blank">Twitch</a> announced today that it has been purchased by Amazon. The Seattle-based e-commerce company confirmed the deal, saying it acquired the online video platform for $970 million. The deal is slated to be finalized during the second half of 2014.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;Broadcasting and watching gameplay is a global phenomenon, and Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month&mdash;from The International, to breaking the world record for Mario, to gaming conferences like E3,&quot; Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com, said in a statement. &quot;And, amazingly, Twitch is only three years old. Like Twitch, we obsess over customers and like to think differently, and we look forward to learning from them and helping them move even faster to build new services for the gaming community.&quot;</p>
<p>
This past June, Twitch had more than 55 million unique visitors and upward of 15 billion minutes of video viewed. More than 1 billion users publish content on the site. YouTube had been reportedly courting the streaming video site <a href="http://www.adweek.com/videowatch/report-youtube-acquire-twitch-1-billion-157825" target="_blank">since May</a>, but it seems that Amazon may have beat them to the punch.</p>
<p>
Twitch CEO Emmett Shear thanked the company&#39;s online audience&nbsp;<a href="http://www.twitch.tv/p/thankyou" target="_blank">on a blog post</a>, adding that it would not be moving offices, rebranding, getting rid of employees, and would retain &quot;independence&quot; from its new parent company. &quot;We chose Amazon because they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster. ... But with Amazon&rsquo;s support we&#39;ll have the resources to bring you an even better Twitch,&quot; he wrote.</p>
TechnologyThe PressAmazonGamingMillennialsOnlineMichelle CastilloTwitchTwitch.tvVideoVideo GamesMon, 25 Aug 2014 21:29:24 +0000159715 at http://www.adweek.comAdvertisers Say Gaming App's 'Winning' Approach Is Creating More Sales Than Display Adshttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/advertisers-say-gaming-apps-winning-approach-creating-more-sales-display-ads-159455
Melissa Hoffmann<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/freeway-headblade.jpeg"> <p>
Anyone can serve an ad to a consumer, but how to get that consumer to click through&mdash;or even better, to actively engage with the brand&mdash;is one of the central struggles of digital advertising.</p>
<p>
But a California startup founded by a former Red Bull marketer and a friend from college thinks it has hit on a surefire way to lure its gamer audience to engage with its ads&mdash;by rewarding them for that engagement with the potential to win free, carefully targeted products.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://www.playfreeway.com/" target="_blank">Freeway</a> is a mobile platform available as an app on iPhone and Android. It sells space on the platform to brands for a set fee for a given period of time, and users of the app are enticed to engage with specific products based on demographics and known interests, paired with the chance to win them for free. &ldquo;We see ourselves as matchmakers, creating an environment that helps foster the initial connection between consumers and brands,&rdquo; said Freeway co-founder Bryan Hawkins. &ldquo;Our goal is to provide users with an entertaining means of discovering new products while also helping our partners break through the clutter and gain exposure.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
The app reached 1 million plays within the first month of its launch, Hawkins said, adding that this validated many of the founders&rsquo; initial assumptions. &ldquo;Each one of these plays was a three-to-five second engagement for our brands, rather than a simple ad impression,&rdquo; he said.</p>
<p>
In addition, Hawkins said several brand partners &ldquo;have noticed higher purchase conversion rates when compared to the display campaigns they are running.&rdquo; Two of Freeway&rsquo;s clients confirmed they are seeing these results.</p>
<p>
One of these clients is <a href="http://www.headblade.com/" target="_blank">HeadBlade</a>, a niche men&rsquo;s grooming company centered on head-shaving products that targets males ages 25 and older. &ldquo;We continuously run retargeting display campaigns to drive online orders on our site,&rdquo; said HeadBlade marketing director Lee Richardson. &ldquo;In July, our conversion rate, through to purchase, for these display campaigns was .02 percent. With the Freeway app, we are seeing an overall purchase conversion rate of .7 percent.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
Sunglasses manufacturer <a href="http://williampainter.com/" target="_blank">William Painter</a> has seen similarly promising results, according to co-founder and partner Matt DeCelles. &ldquo;If we equalize ad spend in July with Freeway compared to our display campaigns for the month, we are seeing a [five-fold] increase in purchase conversions on Freeway,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;As a smaller brand, it&rsquo;s tough to compete in the crowded digital space. We have to be smart with the dollars we spend on digital advertising, so we make it a priority to get creative. We feel that the gamified ads leave a lasting impression.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
Also encouraging DeCelles and company to pursue this unusual platform was its mobile utility. &ldquo;We obviously have been following the <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/advertisers-are-struggling-keep-spending-shifts-mobile-159143" target="_blank">growth of mobile</a> and know&mdash;from our own behavior as well as our customers&rsquo;&mdash;that people are spending more and more time on their phones,&rdquo; he said.</p>
<p>
Freeway&rsquo;s ideal brand partner &ldquo;has a unique, visually appealing product that is not widely known by the average consumer,&rdquo; Hawkins said.</p>
<p>
<strong>A &lsquo;Winning&rsquo; Idea</strong></p>
<p>
Like all startups, Freeway began with the seed of an idea. Hawkins frequently heard a commercial for the California Lottery on his way to work, and it got him thinking about the human psyche.</p>
<p>
&ldquo;I was intrigued by the amount people spent each year, hoping for a chance to win,&rdquo; said Hawkins, who worked on digital apps and games while at Red Bull. &ldquo;I wanted to use a similar model to attract potential customers for advertisers.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
He focused the Freeway concept around the idea that the &ldquo;moment of excitement&rdquo; that accompanies a chance of winning something&mdash;especially a well-targeted product&mdash;would be so intoxicating for consumers that they would willingly engage with the advertiser.</p>
<p>
But data collection is a major part of Freeway&#39;s business model. In a world <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/consumers-buffeted-security-hacks-still-dont-understand-data-privacy-157330" target="_blank">beset by online risk and highly publicized data privacy breaches</a>, how many consumers are really OK with handing sensitive personal data such as mailing addresses and phone numbers to a gaming platform? You may be surprised. Hawkins said 72 percent of Freeway&rsquo;s registered users consented to providing this information.</p>
<p>
&ldquo;Consumers today are definitely wary of data collection,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I believe the keys to success here come down to making data collection mutually beneficial and opt-in. ...We plan to be fully transparent and allow users to engage with advertisements in a way that is neither deceptive nor accidental, but rather, because they want to. If we can accomplish this, then I believe the level of data collection involved will not be an issue.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
Hawkins said the company&rsquo;s biggest challenge to date was making the jump from partnerships based solely on in-kind agreements to paid advertising partnerships. &ldquo;The start was somewhat of a chicken-and-egg situation; we needed a significant user base to start charging advertisers, and we also needed a large number of products to attract users,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We overcame this challenge by starting with product donation deals.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
Freeway pulled in 20 initial partners, which supplied $30K in products for free giveaways before the app launched a couple of months ago.&nbsp;</p>
Advertising & BrandingTechnologyad platformsdigital advertisingFreewaygamificationMelissa HoffmannHeadBlademobile ad spendingMobile advertisingWilliam PainterTue, 12 Aug 2014 17:24:22 +0000159455 at http://www.adweek.comTwitch Responds to User Backlashhttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/twitch-responds-user-backlash-159413
Anna Rohleder<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/twitch-hed-02-2014.jpeg"> <p>
For people who watch live-stream gaming for hours at a time, music is a lot more than just a soundtrack. The management of video streaming service <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/marketers-pick-apart-googles-twitch-purchase-159147" target="_blank">Twitch.tv</a> found out just how much more this week, when it revealed several unpopular new changes to its terms, such as muting unlicensed music in on-demand videos.</p>
<p>
The moves generated an &quot;incredible amount of feedback,&quot; noted a post on the company&#39;s blog. In response, users have been offered an &quot;appeal&quot; button for inappropriately muted videos.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2cwfu2/i_am_twitch_ceo_emmett_shear_ask_me_almost/" target="_blank">Via Reddit</a>, Twitch CEO Emmett Shear both apologized to upset users and downplayed the impact of the changes. &quot;Audio recognition currently impacts approximately 2 percent of video views on Twitch,&quot; he wrote.</p>
<p>
But the size and devotion of Twitch&rsquo;s user base puts even relatively small percentages into a different context. The service claims 45 million viewers a month who spend an average of 106 minutes per day watching live gaming. Being able to reach such a passionate audience of mostly millennial males is a big reason why Google has <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/marketers-pick-apart-googles-twitch-purchase-159147" target="_blank">reportedly inked a $1 billion deal to acquire Twitch</a> (though the companies have yet to confirm the deal).</p>
<p>
Twitch set up an in-house ad sales team last year to offer standard IAB display, video and native ads on its site.</p>
TechnologychangesEmmett ShearGamingGooglemutingAnna RohlederTwitchTwitch.tvunlicensed musicVideovideoYoutubeFri, 08 Aug 2014 20:23:26 +0000159413 at http://www.adweek.comGoogle to Buy Live Gaming Service Twitch for $1 Billionhttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/google-buy-live-gaming-service-twitch-1-billion-159107
Daniel Lefferts<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/twitch-hed-02-2014.jpg"> <p>
Google has closed a deal to purchase livestreaming gaming service <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/" target="_blank">Twitch</a> for $1 billion, <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/24/googles-1b-purchase-of-twitch-confirmed-joins-youtube-for-new-video-empire/" target="_blank">according to VentureBeat</a>, which cites anonymous sources close to the matter.</p>
<p>
Neither Google nor Twitch have commented on the deal, and it&rsquo;s unclear so far what the exact purchase price is and when the deal will be officially announced.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/google-seals-deal-to-buy-twitch-for-1-billion-report-1201268604/" target="_blank">Variety first reported</a> in May that Google &ldquo;had reached a preliminary pact to acquire Twitch for $1 billion.&rdquo; The acquisition, handled by Google&rsquo;s YouTube division, will bolster Google&rsquo;s live Internet streaming offerings considerably, and likely represents a &ldquo;significant transformation of YouTube&rsquo;s business,&rdquo; according to VentureBeat.</p>
<p>
Twitch was created in 2011 by Justin Kan and Emmett Shear, who also cofounded the livestreaming website <a href="http://www.justin.tv/" target="_blank">Justin.tv</a>. The service (which now houses Justin.tv) allows gameplayers to broadcast their live PC, XBox One, or Playstation 4 sessions to viewers around the world.</p>
<p>
When it first launched in mid-2011, Twitch had 3.2 million monthly users. Its growth over the last three years has been staggering. The service now has at least 45 million monthly users and 1.1 million members who broadcast live gameplay sessions. In March of this year, it represented 1.35 percent of all Internet traffic.</p>
<p>
In addition to hosting live gameplay, Twitch also broadcasts shows from partners including Joystiq, Destructoid, and CBS Interactive&rsquo;s GameSpot.</p>
<p>
How Twitch and YouTube will coexist remains to be seen. YouTube is currently the uncontested No. 1 platform for video, boasting some six billion hours of video per month and one billion viewers across the globe.</p>
<p>
While Google&rsquo;s exact purchase price remains unknown, it is telling that Twitch investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners and Draper Associates, are &ldquo;pleased that they will be getting significant returns that are multiple times&rdquo; the original $35 million they collectively invested, VentureBeat reports.<br />
&nbsp;</p>
TechnologyGamingGoogleJustin.tvLivestreamingTwitchDaniel LeffertsFri, 25 Jul 2014 15:50:30 +0000159107 at http://www.adweek.comCats Like Tablet Games, Toohttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/cats-tablet-games-too-158865
Erik Oster<p>
It&#39;s common knowledge by now that the intuitive design of tablets has opened up gaming to everyone from infants to the elderly, but there&#39;s one group using tablet gaming apps that may still surprise you: cats.</p>
<p>
There&#39;s even an &quot;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la6vK6hI7rM" target="_blank">Animals Playing on iPads Compilation</a>&quot; video on YouTube mostly featuring cats (with over 2 millions views), and, <a href="http://killscreendaily.com/articles/videogames-cats-videogames-cats/" target="_blank">as Kill Screen reports</a>, developers like Martine Carlsen are developing apps specifically designed for our feline friends. Carlsen decided to try her hand at developing apps for cats after her own cats&mdash;Sonny and Cher&mdash;were disinterested with the cat gaming apps then available via the app store. Her first cat gaming app was called &quot;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/catch-the-mouse-cat-game/id423287711?mt=8" target="_blank">Catch The Mouse</a>,&quot; a game featuring a tiny virtual mouse moving across the screen while making &quot;real mousey sounds.&quot;</p>
<p>
Her <a href="http://www.martinecarlsen.com/martinecarlsen_iphone_ipad_apps_cats.htm" target="_blank">website</a> now lists a host of cat gaming apps, including a gaming suite app that includes fly, goldfish, butterfly and spider &quot;Catch&quot; games in addition to the original &quot;Catch The Mouse,&quot; as well as paw painting and cat music apps.</p>
<p>
As Carlsen noted in her interview with Kill Screen, &quot;The design of the game has to appeal to humans to &lsquo;persuade&rsquo; them to purchase it, and it has to appeal to the cat to be a success. One without the other is not enough.&quot;</p>
<p>
And, like humans, cats have preferences about which games they like. &quot;Some cats will gladly attack everything that moves on the iPad screen, while others are more picky about even the most lifelike (virtual) mouse,&quot; she explained. &quot;I try to make games with catch objects that appeal to as many cats as possible, but you can&rsquo;t please everybody (or every cat). It&rsquo;s like buying an expensive toy for your kid; they take out the toy and play with the box instead. You never know!&quot;</p>
<p>
Cats and tablet gaming are a perfect fit. Felines are naturally playful, using their paws to attack and play with objects around them. And, according to Kill Screen, &quot;the touch screen on a tablet is just as sensitive to the pads on their feet as it is to human fingertips.&quot; So while cat gaming is only in its infancy, don&#39;t expect it to go away any time soon.</p>
<p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="324" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-wMCAHzJhMo" width="576"></iframe></p>
TechnologyAppscasual gamingcat gamingcatsGamingErik OsterIpadTabletsFri, 11 Jul 2014 16:55:15 +0000158865 at http://www.adweek.com